Monday, June 10, 2013

DIY Heart Pot Holder

Okay so it's been a while since my last post and even longer since my last DIY. I suppose my craftiness has it's ups and downs as with everything else. Lately I've been making googly-eyes at some new fabric but I've been reluctant to buy since I'm already hoarding quite a bit of fabric already. So instead I'm trying to come up with some small projects to use up some the existing fabric...to make room for bigger, better fabrics :)

Anyway, I've been toying with the idea of making a pot holder for a while now, mostly because I don't have one already and I really dislike using the whole oven glove thing...seems like overkill to me...then again I'm sure I won't be thinking that the next time I burn my hand trying to get something out of the oven. But until then...I made this little heart-shaped pot holder out of some leftover fabric and batting.

Start by making a heart-shape pattern for your oven mitt. You will need to cut 2 hearts out of your batting and 4 out of your fabric (1 front, 1 back, 2 for the 'pockets').

Cut the 2 hearts that will form the pockets in half (sad I know). With the right sides together, sew along the edge that you just cut. Flip right side out and press. You can add batting to these pieces if you want some extra projection, I didn't use any and I think mine work just fine and it reduces the bulk a little bit.

Next baste a piece of batting to the heart shape that will form the 'back' of the mitt, or the part that will be covered up by the pockets. You can also baste the batting to the 'front' of the mitt, the part that will be touching whatever you're picking up, but I decided to get fancy and do some quilted hearts. Be sure to follow the directions if you are using heat resistant batting.

Next position the 2 pocket pieces on top of the back of the mitt. I was originally planning on lining them up exactly but I decided to leave a small space to make it easier to use.

Now you should have completed the front and back pieces of your oven mitt. With the right sides together, sew all around the edge leaving a small opening on the side. Flip right side out and press. Then slip stitch the opening close. You can also add some top stitching if your mitt isn't too bulky.

And that's it! I've been using mine for a couple weeks now and it's been working out pretty good. The only thing I dislike about it is the fact that the heat resistant batting always has a crinkling sound when I use it.

I made the heart lobes a bit too long on my mitt so my fingers don't quite reach all the way to the end. Which can be a bit annoying if you're trying to do anything that requires any sort of finger dexterity. Also I would make the spacing a bit bigger between the pockets at the top of the heart. It just makes it a little easier to use. Sorry I don't have a picture to show the scale but it's about the size of my hand.